Nintendo to Crack Down on Abusive Online Multiplayer in New Super Smash Bros.

During today’s Nintendo Direct, it was announced that there will be a code of conduct that will be enforced for online play in the new Super Smash Bros. Nintendo announced that both version of Super Smash Bros. will support online multiplayer. And with this, comes some changes to prevent multiplayer abuse.

The first change is that there will be no more anonymous matches. Instead, all players will be identifiable by a name that is linked to their individual Nintendo Network ID.

The next change is the ability of all players to report other players for abuse and misconduct. While seemingly not an exhaustive list, it was detailed that some of the elements of this code of conduct will include:

Starting a match but not actually playing

Relentless targeting of an individual player

Repeated self-destructs

Frequent dropping-out of matches, even if for technical reasons

Cheating

Violations of the code of conduct can result in temporary bans. Repeat offenders will suffer progressively worse and worse bans. There was no mention of a permanent ban, but one can only assume that this will be a potential penalty.

As a side note, there will be penalties for those who file baseless reports, so players should exercise careful scrutiny when opting to report another for misconduct.